Marymount Wins Again

The Los Angeles Marymount girls’ volleyball team won its fifth state title overall and fourth consecutive Division IV championship by beating scrappy Garden Valley Golden Sierra, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17, on Saturday at Cypress College.

The victory set a state record for most consecutive titles in the same division, but as the Sailors pointed out, who cares?

The state has five playoff divisions based on enrollment and Marymount, a small girls’ school of about 400 students near UCLA, plays most of its toughest matches early in the season. The Sailors won three major regular-season tournament titles.

But before a small crowd Saturday, Marymount didn’t play its best match. The Sailors made many unforced errors against the Grizzlies (38-4), who were making their first appearance in a championship.

Down two games to none, Golden Sierra took advantage of 11 Marymount attack errors to extend the match, but there was never a sense that Marymount (35-1) was in trouble. Ali Forma had 13 kills and Cambria Wilber had 10 for Golden Sierra.

Marymount Coach Cari Klein said it’s difficult to get up for matches in which her team is the clear favorite.

“I’m part of the problem,” she said. “I like to play big games, really big games.... They may be casual out there, but they just know they are going to win.”

The Sailors’ only loss this season was at Santa Ana Mater Dei, in the second match of the season, a loss they avenged a month later by downing the Monarchs to win the Torrey Pines tournament title.

That victory, said Michigan-bound Stesha Selsky, who finished with 15 kills, 24 assists and 15 digs Saturday, was more important than taking home her fourth consecutive state title.

“We’re Marymount, a tiny school. We have no national team players,” she said.

In other matches:

San Jose Archbishop Mitty d. Mater Dei, 26-24, 25-16, 25-19 -- Archbishop Mitty won its fifth state title in six finals appearances by overpowering the Monarchs in the Division II match at Cypress College.

Mater Dei jumped to a 12-6 lead in the first game but couldn’t hold the advantage. Mitty, which hit .537 for the match, owned the second game. With the score tied, 14-14, in the third game, outside hitter K.C. Walsh ripped a couple of kills from the right side to get Mitty (37-3) back on track.

Bethany Johansen had 12 kills and Erin Downey had 11 to lead Mitty. Mallorie Croal had 15 kills for Mater Dei.

Mountain View St. Francis d. Santa Margarita 25-19, 25-18, 25-21 -- The Lancers (29-5) won an unprecedented eighth state title with a powerful barrage that included 15 kills from Jessica Gysin and 13 kills from Diane Copenhagen in the Division III final.

St. Francis took charge in the second game, marching to a 20-8 lead, then turned a 20-17 advantage in the third game into a 24-19 bulge. Gysin, who put away match point, and Copenhagen have played on four consecutive state championship teams spanning several divisions.

Blair Socci had 13 kills and 12 digs for Santa Margarita (28-8), which was making its first appearance in a state final since 1999, when it beat St. Francis for the Division II championship.